VA - Ministry Of Sound ~ American Anthems (2003) torrent

Review by David Jeffries

Ministry of Sound gives America its turn again with DJ Skribble and David Waxman delivering a CD each of straight-ahead dance with few surprises. Skribble's set avoids the bigger names that have appeared on his other mix CDs of late, but it's hardly underground. The Triple X remix of Panjabi MC's "Beware of the Boys" pumps the track up to anthem status and the "Klub Kut" of Tomcraft's "Loneliness" adds a welcome bit of electro trickery. Skribble is able to pull out great remixes of tunes on the verge of being played out and it all blends together well, but the last three faceless trance throwaways are a misstep. A useless intro throws the whole CD off by one track when compared to the cover. David Waxman's disc is less engaging overall. Starting with the "couldn't be more English" Streets, one has to wonder where the American Anthems title comes from. Still, it's a great track, and Röyksopp's thumping mix is wonderful. "Change the World" is another highlight with its clever Housemartins sample and Andrea Doria's oddball "Bucci Bag" is worth having, but there are too many stops and starts to maintain much momentum.